A Visitor from the Vault
by SoundGeare
Summary: Finn thought she was gone. Finn thought he'd only know her again as a memory. He was wrong, and now she's back. A tale of obsession and jelousy
1. The Tiny Dancer

This is part of my three stories competition. Its pretty simple. Whichever story gets the most reviews is the story that gets an update. I don't know when I'll have time to update, but whichever story is in the lead at that point will get dibs. The other two are Inkspot Stigma (a Legend of Zelda fanfic) and Company in Exile (a Fallout 3 fanfic).

* * *

Finn woke up with cold sweat running down his neck. He quickly gazed around the darkened room he shared with Jake. He could feel a… _something_ in the room. Something was watching him and it made Finn uneasy.

The darkness seemed almost liquid, like the sea, as if he could drown in it…

Finn shook his head, dispelling the idea. His eyes ended up landing on a small silhouetted shape resting on the shelf near Jake's bed. The thing was tiny, only a few inches tall. It was completely unremarkable, and Finn had no idea why he had singled it out among the other trinkets that littered the shelf.

He stared at it for a long time, focusing himself completely on the figurine. That's what it was, a small figurine of a ballerina. Finn couldn't make out any colors in the dead black night, only the shape of the thing. Standing daintily, it had one leg outstretched and two arms flung out into the air to either side.

Through pure effort, Finn tore his gaze away from the trinket. Even when he wasn't looking at it, Finn could feel the thing trying to draw his attention back. His eyes, wandering of their own accord, slid back to the tiny dancer.

Finn shook his head again, grimaced, and shut his eyes determinedly. Wiping away the sweat, Finn lay back down on his pillow and set himself to falling back asleep.

* * *

Finn woke up bleary eyed to the smell of bacon. He climbed out of bed and shambled toward the ladder, moving steadily as the scent drew him.

As he passed it, Finn's eyes fell upon the figurine for a moment, but he moved past it. Finn could hear Jake singing his _bacon-pancake_ song and the concept put a spring into Finn's step. He leapt down the ladder and flew into the kitchen.

"Hehe, smelled it, huh?" Jake chuckled as Finn approached.

"Uh?" Finn murmured, "Huh, um, yeah! Are they ready yet?" Finn asked. Jake shook his head and Finn asked desperately, "Almost?"

"Just put em' on bro, be awhile. Why don't you go let Flame Princess in?"

Jake chuckled as Finn nearly jumped out of his skin, "What? Flame Princess is here? Why didn't you wake me up? How long has she been here?"

"Relax, relax." Jake said between fits of laughter, "She's not here yet, but she will be soon. I can smell her coming this way," Jake tapped his nose. "And I _did_ wake you up, with bacon!"

"Hehe, I guess so," Finn said, "but hey, what's up with that little dancer you've got on your shelf. It was weirding me out earlier."

Jake turned around and tilted his head, arching an eyebrow, "What dancer?"

Finn sighed and said, "Nevermind," before heading out to find Flame Princess.

* * *

"Hehe, and then I told him to grind his own bones, and I kicked him in the toe!" Finn finished, barely holding back the laughter. Finally the dam broke loose and the pair of them fell to breathless laughing wrecks. It was almost a minute before they were able to breathe normally without breaking into chuckling fits.

Eventually, Flame Princess stood back up and said merrily, "Finn, that's got to be the _funniest_ story I've ever heard."

"You should've been there," he said then, catching a whiff of the scent on the wind, he added, "Have you ever had bacon pancakes?"

"Uh... no," Flame Princess said.

"Oh! Well you gotta try some! Come on! Jake's making some back at the house!" Finn said excitedly.

They took off running back toward the tree house, and sure enough, Jake was inside putting bacon-studded pancakes onto plates. Jake looked up as they entered, and went about setting down three plates by the table. There were two chairs already sitting there and he had to stretch an arm into a different room to pull up the metal chair they kept for Flame Princess.

Pretty soon they were all sitting around the table, eating delicious pancakes.

They were so engrossed in the food, that nobody noticed the blue-green tendrils sliding down through the cracks in the ceiling. They didn't notice as the tendrils began to snake along the surface, slipping down the walls and moving to cover the doorways.

Finn stood with his empty plate to go fetch some more pancakes and dropped it as he saw the ghostly ooze.

"Oh Glob!" he shrieked, jumping back away from it, "What's that!"

Flame Princess and Jake both looked up from their food and reacted with equal shock.

"Dude!" Jake shouted, leaping from his chair, "It's tryin' ta cover the doors." He started to run toward the front door, but the ooze quickly snapped over the exit and encased it.

Finn let out a wordless cry, then said hurriedly, "Run for it! We gotta find another way out!"

All three of them turned toward the other door out of the kitchen. Flame Princess, who was closest to it, disappeared through the opening. Jake followed quickly after her, with Finn right behind him.

Just as Finn was about to escape, the ooze jumped to cover the doorway. He slammed up against it and was held tightly by the blue-green substance. Through the erratic movement of unsuppressed fear, Finn was able to tear himself out of the ooze's grip and was sent sprawling back against the ground.

He searched around for another way out. The front door was blocked, the other door was blocked. So no doors. The window!

Finn leapt to his feet and turned to dive out the window. He almost made it, but something thick and sticky wrapped around his ankle and yanked him backward. Finn was slammed against the ground and the force of gravity drove his face into the wooden planks. Finn felt his lip crack and a trickle of blood begin to leak from the raw flesh.

"_Oh honey…" _a disembodied voice began, _"Did I hurt you? Never meant to, sorry…"_

Finn flipped himself over and stared around, trying to suppress his fear and find the source of the voice at the same time.

* * *

Flame Princess dove through the door and her first step met nothing.

With a sudden lurch, she fell through the floor and into another room below it. Even as she fell, Flame Princess could hear the floorboards knitting back together above her.

It wasn't a long fall, and in a fraction of a second Flame Princess has struck the ground. She immediately shot upright. Flame Princess spun around, and again, searching the room.

She was alone, completely isolated in the room. At least there didn't seem to be any of that creepy teal ooze.

Then she realized there were no doors or windows. Flame Princess hurriedly searched the room again and realized that there was no way out. She was alone, _and_ she was trapped.

And ethereal voice made its way through the air. The only adjective Flame Princess could think to describe it with would by _shimmery_.

"_Theif! I will… break you! Theif…" _the voice faded away, leaving just the remnant of that last word to hang in the air.

* * *

Jake sprinted through the door and leapt over the surprising hole in the floor. As his feet touched down, Jake spun and searched for his friends. His heart sank as he saw the doorway covered in glowing blue-green slime. Finn must still be trapped inside…

Jake looked into the hole and saw only an orange glow in the darkness. That must be Flame Princess. If only he could find a way to get her out of there…

The floorboards began to reform and fill the opening. At first they were sluggish, but within moments the ground was reknitting with ferocious speed.

So it was just him. Finn was trapped, and Flame Princess was trapped.

Jake growled and stepped back from the filled doorway and disappeared hole. Whatever this thing was, he had to get help. Jake didn't know what he could do to fight it, but if he could escape, maybe someone else could do that.

Jake turned to leave via the back door, but froze as he saw the far wall covered in ooze. Jake leapt upward and shrank himself to fit through a crack in the ceiling. He squeezed through easily and found himself in a room completely untouched by the ooze.

Jake sighed and started to think of a plan. He had to find a way out, but how?

"Hello Jake, what is… happening?"

Jake spun around to find BMO standing behind him. The tiny computer looked up at him with an expectant face.

"Come on BMO!" Jake said quickly, "There's…_ something_ in the tree house. We gotta get outa here!"

BMO nodded and put on a determined face.

"Where is Finn, and his Fire gal?"

"They got, uh, caught." Jake said, "That _something_ has them. But we're gonna save them!"

BMO nodded and put on an angry face.

In a deep voice he said, "Let's do this!"

* * *

If this is intriguing and you want more of it, make sure you leave a review to boost its chances of getting a speedy update.

If you're interested in reading the competition, here are the links:

s/9185899/1/Inkspot-Stigma

s/9185906/1/Company-in-Exile


	2. Haunting

Jake and BMO climbed the ladder furiously. Strange noises seemed to be emanating from the house below them. Some of them were chilling, like the amplified sound of grinding teeth or a sudden high-pitched scream. The noises echoed throughout the whole house, and no matter where they went Jake and BMO couldn't seem to escape them.

They couldn't seem to escape the house either. Together they had tried all of the doors and windows on the first and second stories and found them blocked. Along the way they'd also tried to gain entrance to the kitchen in hopes of rescuing Finn, but those hopes had been in vain. The doors were still sealed over with that unearthly ooze, and any attempt at making a new entrance had been useless. The only hole they'd bothered smashing through the wall had been met with an impenetrable force.

This had been different from the ooze. Instead of a teal color, this had been dull black. It swirled gently, like trapped smoke. However, when Jake had tried to push then batter his way through, it had been as strong and solid as steel or more so.

So, with great regret, they had left Finn behind in hopes of finding escape then help. That plan hadn't fared much better, though. Each exit they found was blocked. What was worse was the puzzling new additions to the house. Some halls seemed longer than before, and a few times they found themselves running down passages that just plain hadn't existed before that day.

Also, Jake was pretty sure the tree house hadn't always had five stories. It didn't end there, either. Jake had gazed up a ladder and found himself staring on for what could've miles. Jake had shuddered after seeing that. Whatever this thing was, it was more powerful than either Finn or himself. The only hope they had was to get outside help.

But each passing minute served only to drive into his head the futility of this plan. Every possible exit was blocked. They were trapped inside the house just as surely as Finn was trapped inside the kitchen. At one point during the frantic searching, Jake began to despair. They had been traveling through a twisting hallway that corkscrewed in a gravity defying manner. However, Jake suddenly felt overcome by the hopelessness of their situation.

"We're never gonna find a way out!" he moaned, dropping to his knees in a defeated manner.

Jake didn't see the slap coming until a second after it hit. BMO grasped him by the shoulders and shook him, hard.

"Pull youself together!" he shouted, "We have to save Finn!"

Jake sat there, breathing heavily. "Sorry, I… I'm good now. Let's keep looking."

Jake stood and began to continue along the hallway, but it seemed that BMO was frozen in place. His hands shuddered slightly and his eyes stared straight ahead.

"Hey man," Jake said, worriedly, "You alright?"

"*yourself" BMO said, and with that correction, his trance was broken.

* * *

Flame Princess ran as fast as she could, trying to outrun the crazed laughter that seemed to follow her through the hall. The hall itself seemed to go one forever, all of it made from seamless stone.

She could hear the footsteps approaching from behind her, moving closer and closer until the sound was right on top of her. Any second now the thing would be upon her.

What thing?

The ground beneath Flame Princess's feet turned into open air and she fell. The air whipped past her like a storm and in the maelstrom she had to focus her energy in order to avoid being extinguished. She fell for a long time, struggling to burn hotter and defy the wind.

Finally the falling ended.

The truth of the matter was far less graceful than that phrase hints. _Ended_ could mean she began flying, which would technically end the falling.

That wasn't what happened.

With the force of a thousand years spent falling, Flame Princess _smacked_ into the ground. She could feel the impact in every corner of herself. A sharp moment of pain that spread throughout everything that existed. Just a moment of total, absolute agony.

Then she was back on her feet, looking around with the beginnings of anger in her heart. Who was doing this to her? What was that _stuff_ that had been seeping through the kitchen ceiling? Where was Finn?

And what had that voice meant by calling her a thief?

The anger burned hotter and stronger with every moment of thought. Soon enough she had a glare carved into her face and fireballs clenched in either hand.

Whatever was happening, whatever this was, she would be ready. Whenever that _thing_ came for her, regardless of what it was, Flame Princess would be ready for it.

* * *

Finn gazed into the magic mirror, watching Flame Princess run for her life. It seemed that there were deadly dangers all around her waiting, but she could see any of them. Just Finn, but he had no way of communicating with her.

The kitchen was distorted, the walls having disappeared and replaced with an endless sea of that teal ooze. Every so often, a face floated across the ooze, a face that Finn almost recognized. It was a girl's face, or at least a feminine face, he knew that much. He felt as if he remembered the face for some reason, but he had forgotten it long ago.

He agonized over watching Flame Princess and being unable to help her, but whenever he looked away something bad happened. He had to watch her be tortured so he could protect her from more torture that might come her way.

_Have you remembered me yet?_

A silky voice floated through the air. Something about the tone of the words made them reverberate in the air like echoes in a cave. They almost _buzzed _by the time they were soaked into Finn's ears.

"No," Finn said, already cringing.

Something happened to Flame Princess in the mirror. The roof of the tunnel suddenly changed into individual boulders and it collapsed onto her. Luckily she managed to cut her way through the falling stones and escape unscathed.

Finn would have sighed in relief, but that might make the voice angry. Almost anything he did regarding Flame Princess made the voice angry, and when the voice got angry it would take that anger out on Flame Princess and force Finn to watch through the magic mirror.

"Please…" Finn pleaded, "Let her go, let them all go. Please…"

As he watched, the floor of the tunnel suddenly changed into quicksand and Flame Princess was nearly swallowed. Luckily she used her fire to fly above the quicksand and escape its grasp.

"What do you want?" Finn asked, dejectedly. There was nothing he could do. Any attempt to help Flame Princess would only serve to put her in more danger, and any attempt at escape would probably do just the same. He was trapped here.

The flesh of the room shifted so that a face protruded from the place that had been a mirror. The eyes stared into his, and Finn still felt a faint semblance of recognition.

_I want you…_


	3. A Look Inside the Vault

Finn glanced down nervously at the sea of teal ooze he was floating just above. From what had been his kitchen, only the chair he sat in remained. However, the thin tendrils of otherworldly ooze were finding their way up the wooden chair legs. The bottom few inches had already been engulfed, and the ghostly goo was still working its way up the wood, toward him.

"But I don't know who you are!" Finn exclaimed, staring at the protruding female face. Something about it nearly sparked a memory, but it was a forgotten memory. He almost remembered remembering it, but then he didn't. Like it was locked away in some hidden vault in his mind, like he was trying to hide it from himself.

_You really don't remember… do you?_

Finn shook his head frantically, trying to appear half as terrified as he really was. His eyes darted around the room, searching for some way to escape, but it seemed there was none. For a moment Finn thought he saw a doorknob float to the surface of the sea, but it was drowned as suddenly as it appeared.

_I guess I'll remind you then, but it irks me… Why can't you remember the day we met? I hadn't seen a living person in so long… You must've been the first in centuries. You woke me up, playing that strange game with your friends…_

He could feel himself starting to remember, parts at least. The mansion, gigantic and ominous, tucked away among a group of mountains at the edge of the sea. It was raining… The two of them were invited by no one… Princess Bubblegum was there, and LSP, and Cinnamon Bun, and BMO.

_They all left you, taken away by the colorful ones… You were… running… I saw you, the first in a long time… since I, I died…_

The memories were rushing back, tearing their way out of the vault Finn kept in his head. The backfiring joke, the masks, the terrified sprinting through the haunted house. It was a fake haunting, but it… wasn't. He saw a… he saw her.

_I knew I couldn't let you go, not once I saw you there. You were mine, so I followed you. I made your yellow friend take something of mine, but he didn't know that… I was inside it._

The dancer. Jake must've taken it with him once they left the scary mansion. She'd followed him because. He didn't want to think about it. The idea was creeping up into him, slinking through his mind and leaving little room for doubt.

"Why did you follow me?" Finn gasped, his mouth feeling dry.

_I came with you, followed you, because you're mine._

_Because I love you…_

* * *

Jake climbed up the ladder as fast as he could. There was something down there, something strange happening. Of course, everything that was happening was strange. The house wasn't this big. There were three stories in their tree house, and that was it.

Jake and BMO must be on at least the fiftieth floor by now. They were still going. If Jake stopped to gaze upward, he would see an endless ladder that stretched up to infinity.

On a whim, Jake did just that and gaped.

"Jake?" BMO said in a worried voice, gazing downward, "Why did you stop? Did you forget about the thing?"

"No, it's… I can see the top…"

"What!?" BMO gasped, turning his gaze upward.

It was true. The end wasn't close, but it was visible. The trap door that let out onto the roof. He could see it now.

"It's still coming…" BMO moaned, staring downward again.

Jake looked down for a moment, shuddered, then started climbing again. Hopefully they would reach the roof before that thing caught up with them.

* * *

Flame Princess stalked through the hallway, a cantaloupe sized fireball smoldering in each hand. Her gaze swept back and forth across the wooden floor, surveying the walls and ceiling then staring down the seemingly endless hall.

A flicker of movement caught her eye and she found herself staring at a tendril of teal goo that was trying to slither out from between some of the floorboards ahead. Raising one of the fireballs above her head, Flame Princess tossed it down onto the tendril and watched with a burning satisfaction as the tendril caught fire and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

That was what happened when you got between Flame Princess and Finn. That was what happened when you threw her in a pit and called her a thief. That was what happened when you tried to kill her over and over again while holding Finn hostage somewhere.

That simply what happened when you annoyed the Princess of fire and destruction. You got burned.

A creaking sound alerted her to the next attack and Flame Princess found herself looking at the bulging spot in the floorboards. It was growing, too, spreading to the walls and the ceiling. Within moments the bulge had completely surrounded her. It seemed that the bulge might burst at any moment.

Flame Princess readied herself, gathering her strength, and waited for a moment. Just as the bulges did burst, Flame Princess released the fiery power and burned away the shrapnel with a rapidly spreading fire cloud.

"That was weak!" she shouted, looking around with an angry glare. She couldn't see the attacker, and she hadn't heard the ghost speak in at least an hour. However, Flame Princess's gut instinct told her that the ghost could hear every word she said and see every move she made.

"You're going to have to do better than that. A _lot_ better."

* * *

Jake used one arm to shove the trap door open and the other to pull himself over the edge. BMO dropped off of his back the moment he cleared the ledge. Jake spun around immediately and dove for the trapdoor.

"Hurry Jake! Hurry!" BMO squealed, backing away from the still open hole in the floor.

Jake took hold of the trap door with both hands and threw it closed. At the last moment, just as it was about to slam down, something slammed into the bottom. If Jake hadn't thrown himself down atop the trapdoor, the thing might have managed to throw it open again. As it was, Jake had to stretch himself to a much larger size in order to hold the door closed.

"BMO!" Jake growled, fighting to keep it shut, "Get the… lock! Lock it! LOCK IT!"

BMO took only a moment to respond, diving forward and throwing the latch closed. It was a heavy metal latch, and Jake trusted it to hold.

Almost.

Before he could feel safe, Jake dragged a huge crate over from one side of the roof and left it over the trapdoor.

"There!" Jake muttered, "Move _that_, sucker…"

"Jake, there's… there's someone out there."

"Huh? What?" Jake said, turning around and following BMO's extended finger. After a few moments of searching, Jake found himself staring at a black dot on the horizon. At his distance he couldn't quite make out who or what it was, but it had to be better than the thing below the trapdoor or the ghost.

"Hey!" Jake shouted, holding his hands to his mouth, "Help! Help us! There's some wacky junk goin on in here! Help!"

"Heeeeeeellp!" BMO howled.

* * *

Finn leaned back in the chair, trying desperately to keep himself away from the ghost lady. He knew her now. He remembered.

_I want you…_

He was terrified, disturbed, upset, flustered, and more than a little disgusted. She… _loved_ him?

_Give me what I…_

Suddenly the face drew back, a look of sudden concentration written across it. Then anger. Anger spread over the ghostly features, making it into a terrifying mask.

_Not you… dirty thief…_

The face drew back away from Finn, staring off into the distance. She was concentrating on something. The magic mirror was back, hanging on what had been the wall. It was showing a close up view of Flame Princess…

Something else caught Finn's eye, the doorknob. It was back again. The dull metal was protruding from the teal sea. Finn could even see a good portion of the door.

Finn looked over at the ghostly face, saw its look of angry concentration, then leapt. He managed to plant his feet firmly in front of the door before she even reacted.

_Hey! Where are you…_

But it was too late. Finn had already wrenched the door open and run through.


	4. Outsiders

Princess Bubblegum walked purposefully across the rolling green hills. Her dress really wasn't made for this kind of activity, but as a princess she didn't have very many "adventuring" outfits. This dress, however, was totally free of frills and lace, which made it one of the most ideal for traipsing across the countryside.

Reaching the crest of a particularly tall hill, she stopped for a moment to look toward her destination. The leafy crown of the boys' tree house stuck out above the hills, providing a beacon. Princess Bubblegum made quick calculation, taking in the apparent height of the tree and approximating hypotenuse. It took her only a moment of thought to find the remaining variable of distance.

She chuckled to herself after she had attained the answer. "Not that much longer, fifteen minutes at most…"

Taking a breath she started on her way down the hill, then up the next, and so on until she had reached her destination. She was standing a dozen yards away from the tree house, having left the rolling hills and stepped onto the flat plain that surrounded the dwelling.

Princess Bubblegum gazed up at the tree house for a minute, thinking about Finn and Jake. They hadn't been seen in the Candy Kingdom for a week and a half and, after asking around, she'd discovered that they hadn't been seen anywhere for nearly that long. Apparently they hadn't left their tree house for a whole week, just staying trapped up in there for no apparent reason. That didn't sound like them. Well… Jake maybe… but Finn would probably go insane staying indoors for that long.

Anyway, she'd decided to check up on them, come see what was going on. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe they'd had one of their silly little contests and had tired each other out. Princess Bubblegum had observed one of those, and she wouldn't put it past them to sleep for a week after that.

However, it could be something serious. She had some sensitive equipment back in her lab, detectors of magical disturbances and such, and a few of them had been going while when she left. She hadn't thought to check where they were picking up the disturbances, but the more she thought about it the more she became sure that the disturbance had to be coming from the direction of Finn and Jake's tree house.

It was too late to check them anyway. She was already at the house, well, pretty much at the house. Just another half dozen yards to the door and…

"Hey… uh, I wouldn't go there if I were you."

She froze, recognizing the voice.

"Ice King…" she growled, "What have I told you about following me."

"_Go away Ice King. _ _Leave me alone Ice King. Get out of my room Ice King_," The Ice King mocked, "Yeah, yeah, yeah… You're not foolin' anybody. But this isn't about that. There's some weird junk goin' on over here. And you're standing about two feet from the edge of it."

Princess Bubblegum stared down at the ground two feet in front of her, trying to distinguish it from the ground two feet beyond or before. It was just the same. Green grass that mostly obscured the dirt beneath. A slight speck of some insect's movement every now and again.

"What are you talking about Ice King? I don't see any…"

"It's all in the wizard eyes," he said matter-of-factly, "There's this big teal wall, it's like an ocean of… of… teal. I think there's little things swimming in it, and I can almost see through. Its big inside… real big. There's somethin' whack in there. The wall is like a… forcefield, or something. Anything touches it, I don't know. It might just be a wall, or it might zap you."

Princess Bubblegum stared at the air and took a step back, opting out of guinea pig duty. She turned toward the Ice King's voice and was confused for a moment. The wizard was nowhere to be seen.

"Hehe, up here toots."

Princess Bubblegum looked up and scowled at the Ice King. He was perched on a floating blue lawn chair. He had a glass of some sort of blue drink in one hand and a pair of binoculars pressed to his face with the other.

She scowled for a moment longer then screwed her eyes shut in disgust, realizing that from this angle she could see straight up the man's robe. Still blinded in the defense of her own sanity, Princess Bubblegum took a few steps forward and to her right so she could face the man from the side.

"How do I know you're not just making this up?" she demanded.

The Ice King lowered his binoculars and looked down at her for a moment. Sighing, he set the binoculars on his lap and raised on finger toward the tree house.

"Zap!" he said as a single bolt of ice lightning was shot from the fingertip. It hurtled through the air, razor sharp and frigid for a half moment before exploding in midair.

Princess Bubblegum looked back and forth between the wizard and the tree house a few times before saying, "Are you sure you can't break it open or anything?"

"Well, I don't know. Let's see."

"Zap! Zap-zap! Zap-zap-zap! Zap! Zap-zap!" each word was punctuated with a blast of ice lightning. Within seconds the air was full of snow for a few yards in each direction.

"Huh," he said looking around at the miniature snowstorm, "Sexy."

Before Princess Bubblegum could even think to retort, the snow had faded away and a more aggravating thought had occurred to her.

"Come-on Ice King," she said begrudgingly, "We've got to go find someone."

He looked down at her then at his drink. "Can I finish my Ice-ade first?"

"Let's go," she said sternly, walking away.

He looked down at her then at his drink. "Alright," he said, dropping the ice-ade, binoculars, and chair at once, "but I'm counting this as a date."

He was in the process of turning around to follow her when the rock hit him.


	5. Supernatural!

Marceline held herself still in the air, scanning the surrounding trees. A cluster of evergreen branches hid her from sight. Soon enough it would come, and she would be ready. A rustle of movement in a nearby tree drew her attention and she found herself watching as a blue bird darted from its hiding place among the branches. Drawing the rubber band back quickly, Marceline loosed it and watched as the bit of rubber snapped into the bird. The animal cried out in panic then looked around frantically for the source of the attack. Hidden as she was, Marceline was free to watch all of this. While doing so she couldn't help laughing a little, even though it might give her away.

Moving slowly, Marceline pulled another rubber band out of her pocket.

She froze suddenly, feeling a tingling sensation crawl across the back of her neck. She was sensing something… something magical. It was a long way away and at this distance there was no way to tell what it was. For a moment her curiosity arose and she contemplated checking it out. For her to feel it at this distance, it had to be something powerful. And powerful magic was usual entertaining to watch. However, powerful magic usually provoked dangerous situations.

Put simply, she just didn't feel like it today.

Marceline scanned the trees searching for another bird. Maybe she'd find a pretty one to hit this time…

"Marceline!" a voice called. She couldn't see the speaker, but the hidden vampire could recognize the voice. She called again and Marceline deduced that Bonnibel was coming this way. Marceline didn't move a muscle, remaining stock still in the tree.

"Marceline, I know you're around here!" she called again.

Suddenly Bonnibel stepped into view. She was holding some kind of a device in her hands. Simon was walking behind her, the crown perched on his head like a little taunt. Marceline sighed and looked down at the pair, watching them move toward her tree.

"It says she's… in this tree?" Bonnibel muttered, confusion in her voice.

Bonnibel started to look up the tree, her gaze slowly rising until she was looking straight at Marceline. She paused there, staring at the spot. Marceline raised the rubber band, pulled it back and fired.

Even as the snap of impact shot through the air, Marceline murmured to herself, "That'll have to do…"

Marceline floated out of the tree slowly, descending down until she was at eye level with the two of them. Bonnibel was rubbing a spot in the middle of her forehead, glaring at Marceline.

"So…" Marceline said, a grin on her face, "What brings you two to my tree?"

"What are you… this isn't… why did you… Argh!" Bonnibel spluttered out, her face having turned a darker shade of red.

"Cool your jets, _princess_," Marceline said, laughing.

The look on Bonnibel's face was priceless. She was just staring with a half stern half flustered expression. Though her jaw was motionless, Marceline could practically see the effort that kept her teeth from grinding in pure frustration.

"We…" Bonnibel muttered out, "…need your help."

Marceline guffawed.

"You're coming to ME for help!? Are you saying your _science _can't fix this one?" she waved her hands in the air, laughing as she mocked the girl.

Bonnibel's face turned even redder, though some of the coloring was starting to come from anger.

"What!? NO," she barked, "It's not _for_ me, it's Finn. There's something… wrong."

Marceline looked at her flatly, still snickering a little. "So, what mess did that squirt get himself into this time?"

"We're not sure…" Bonnibel relented, "Tell her Ice King."

"Huh?" Simon said, jerking his head back toward them. He had been staring off into space, his face bent into a scowl for some reason. "Oh… uh… yeah… There's some kind of… _supernatural substance_ surrounding the tree house and there's something in there with them."

"Hmmm," Marceline hummed, then said suddenly, "Alright, then what do you need me for?"

"We… uh…" Bonnibel began, "We don't really know what to do. I thought you'd have some idea."

"Uhh, I'll have to take a look at it, _almighty scientist_."

Marceline started to walk off toward Finn's house, listening giddily to the sound of Bonnibel growling angrily behind her.

* * *

Marceline walked across the green hills, parasol in hand. The closer she came to the tree house, the more she could feel it. There was a feel in the air, like the tingling she'd felt before but somehow… bigger. It was a buzz now, a slight sense of movement that pervaded the air around her.

It was all around her, and she could feel it growing denser and stronger the closer she came.

Suddenly she cleared the last hill and stood still, staring at what she saw. The tree house was gone, having been totally enveloped inside a teal sphere. The thing was wrapped around the tree house, or at least it surrounded the place where the tree house had been.

As Marceline watched, the surface rippled slightly as something pressed up against it form the inside. The teal wall bent and shifted in such a way that it almost seemed liquid. Like something gigantic rising from the depths of a sea.

"Do you see it Marceline?" Bonnibel asked.

"Yeah," she said, not wanting to waste any time on jokes or bickering. Form the looks of it, anyone inside that house was in deep trouble.

"Any idea what to do?"

"Uh…" Marceline voiced quietly, looking around the area, "No I… wait!"

Holding her parasol carefully above her, Marceline flew toward the markings. "Hey Si… Ice King, come look at this."

The man flew over and landed beside her, leaving Bonnibel behind on the hilltop.

"Is that a…" the man began.

"Yeah, I think so. I almost didn't see it, it's pretty old. Go get Bonnibel, we've got to see where this thing leads."

While Simon flew back to retrieve the princess, Marceline simply stared down at the teal smudges on the ground. They were faint, old as she had said.

They led away from the house, going off over the hills and off into the distance.

* * *

Huh, I discovered something during this chapter. I really love writing Marceline's character. I've started planning a couple more stories with her as a central character. They won't be around for a while since I've got a lot of other stories on my queue, but they're gonna happen eventually.


	6. Subzero Gelatin Maybe

Marceline floated just above the faded trail of teal smudges. Bonnibel was walking behind her and Simon was keeping pace with the princess. He didn't even seem to realize the seriousness of this situation. While Marceline followed the trail and fretted over one of her machines, the old man was just staring around aimlessly.

Marceline jerked her thoughts away from the man. There were more important things at hand here than the crazy old wizard. Finn and Jake were trapped by something dangerous and far out of their league. They were supposed to be heroes, and it would probably sting one or the other's pride to hear her say that, but it was true.

Marceline didn't even think she could manage to stop this thing, but she had to try for her friends. Maybe, just maybe, between her powers, Simon's magic, and Bonnibel's science machines they might be able to survive this.

Before her thoughts could manage to turn darker, Marceline spotted their apparent destination. The trail led in the direction of a mansion. It sat right against the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea. The trail didn't actually go all the way up to the mansion, but instead cut off suddenly about a hundred yards short of it. However, from the angle of the trail, it was highly unlikely that it led anywhere else.

"I… I think I remember this place," Bonnibel said suddenly, sounding unsure of herself, "I don't know . It's just… feels familiar."

Marceline looked over her shoulder at the princess then shrugged. "Whatever is in there with Finn and Jake, it probably came from here. Let's get in there, check things out."

* * *

Princess Bubblegum followed Marceline up the winding road. It carried the three of them up along the edge of a mountain. If she looked out to her right, Princess Bubblegum would be able to see over the edge and into a wide ocean.

She didn't though, half worried that it would disorientate her.

Princess Bubblegum looked up and saw the destination. The mansion stuck up high into the air, its multiple towers extended toward the clouds like the dusty ribcage of a forgotten skeleton. She still felt a twinge of recognition while looking at the building.

It was dead, she realized. The mansion looked to be deserted, abandoned and empty for who knew how long.

How long had it been? She couldn't quite remember when she'd been here, or why. However, Princess Bubblegum just _knew_ that she'd been here before.

The three of them walked up to the mansion's massive front doors and paused. Marceline didn't even bother to knock, she just thumped a fist up against the solid wood and watched as it swung open on creaky hinges.

"Heheh, spooky…" Marceline said, the humorlessness in her laugh almost as dry as her veins.

Marceline led them inside and paused there, looking around. The Ice King joined her in surveying the empty room. While they did that, Princess Bubblegum froze. She suddenly knew when she'd been in this place. In this room, this very room. She remembered wearing a mask and a sparkly pink dress.

Lots of others had been there. Finn and Jake, BMO and Cinnamon Bun, and even Lumpy Space Princess. Lady Rainicorn had showed up later, after they got in on Jake's joke.

But now, as she looked around this dead house and thought of the current circumstances, she wondered if it really had been a game.

"I can feel something here," Marceline announced, "Or… it was here. Its old, but powerful."

Princess Bubblegum looked away from Marceline for a moment, just in time to watch Ice King wander off.

"Where are you going?" Princess Bubblegum asked him.

"There's a… I've got to follow… she… follow…" he moaned, seeming almost in a trance. Princess Bubblegum exchanged a glance with Marceline and they followed the crazy wizard.

The Ice King meandered out of the room and up several flights of stairs. He walked down halls and around corners, eventually leading them to a locked door. The paint had long since peeled off, leaving only the course wooden surface beneath.

"Here it is," he muttered, and then louder, "It's in here."

Princess Bubblegum wanted to ask what _it _was, but she was almost afraid of what the answer would be. Marceline moved quickly, throwing one foot solidly against the door and tearing it off the hinges with a splintery scream of pain.

The room was very plain inside. A short bookshelf was off to the left and a cheaply built fireplace was set in the opposite wall. Directly ahead there was a table, and upon that there was a brown masquerade mask.

"What the heck is this?" Marceline said, reaching for it. However, just as her finger touched it, the vampire froze. She just stood there, stuck in that position for nearly a minute.

Then, just as suddenly as she stopped, Marceline started back up again.

"Oh," she said, tiredly, "My my my Finn, what a mess you've got yourself in…" She chuckled then, a throaty sarcastic thing that did seem to actually contain humor.

"Well," Marceline said, addressing the other two, "We've got our ticket in. I can feel the ghost's presence all around this mask, embedded and imbued within. Let's go."

"Wait, how does that help us, having a mask with ghost leftovers on it?" Ice King asked, suddenly seeming lucid for a moment.

"Are you kidding?" Marceline said, "You're the one who… oh never mind. Here's it in a nutshell. Force fields are made to keep certain things out, and certain things in, but not everything out or in. That would be much too hard, so a force field is specified to a few keys. I think we can assume that Finn and Jake are keyed to be kept inside, and we are keyed to stay out."

She lifted the mask and winked, "But I bet the ghost herself is keyed to be able to come and go as she pleases. The aura on this mask should be enough to cover our own, and trick the force field into letting us in. It'll think we're the ghost."

"So what now?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

"We've got to prepare for war," she said, "Once we go in, there's no getting out. We might trick the force field's built in sensors, but we won't fool the ghost for a second. She'll find a way to keep us in there, so get anything you might need and meet me back at the tree house in half an hour."

Without waiting for a response, Marceline ducked down and dove up the fireplace's chimney.

* * *

Marceline stood in front of the tree house, right at the edge of the force field, axe bass in one hand and parasol in the other. It hadn't taken her more than a minute to gather her weapons, since she only owned the one.

As she watched, Bonnibel came trundling over the nearest hill, nearly tripping over the overgrown grass. She had a huge backpack on her back which looked stylish with her dress. Definitely her best battle gear.

The princess stopped next to Marceline and said, "Is that all you're bringing?"

Marceline snorted, "This is all I've got, and it's all that I'll need. How about you? You've got your whole lab on your back."

"This is all very important equipment," Bonnibel said, sounding offended, "I've got a dual mode particle ray, a spectral radar, an ionic divider, a…" Marceline tuned her out after that.

Suddenly Simon landed next to them. He had a penguin tucked under his arm and a drumstick in one hand. Marceline stared at him and sighed. She couldn't waste time on him when there were lives on the line.

"Okay everyone," Marceline said, holding the mask out between them, "Grab on, let's get in there."

Bonnibel took hold of one edge, while Simon grabbed another between two long fingers. Taking a deep breath, Marceline stepped backward toward the force field. She felt it passing over her like icy water or something thicker. Subzero gelatin maybe.

It was strange on the inside. Everything looked swirly and dark, moving in ways that nothing should. The air seemed to shimmer while everything else looked flat and dull.

Even as Marceline watched, the mask disintegrated in their hands.

"Well," she said, dismissively, "Guess we're stuck here. Let's see what it's like inside."

With that, Marceline headed toward the tree house door, hearing Bonnibel and Simon follow a short moment after.


	7. Doors

_I slip through the hallways, remaining ever watchful. He has to be around here somewhere. He disappeared before but I have to find him. Footsteps ring out and I follow them. Heading through the network of labyrinthine corridors, I fly toward the sound. Moving silently, I come upon the source of the footsteps._

_It's her, that fiery thief. Here she was, fighting against a portion of my ghostly essence. She would be no match for my full power, but that won't come until later. I have other things to do, so I slip away and continue my search. I want to destroy her, to crush her and show once and for all who he belongs to. But I can't, not now. I'm too stretched out._

_I have to find him, and I have to keep the other two occupied. At the same time I am trying to kill her, but she is too strong against my divided power. And I can feel something happening just beyond my influence. I don't know what it is, but it could turn out to be trouble. If I am forced to divide myself any further I could become too weak to do anything._

_I hear more footsteps and they draw me out of my thoughts. I fly toward them in haste, hoping against hope that I have found my love again._

_I growl as I come upon the two annoyances: the yellow one and his animated computer box. _

_The box turns and gazes upon me for a moment before shrieking. The yellow one lifts him up and runs off._

_I don't give them a second thought. They are nothing more than annoyances, and I have to find my love._

* * *

Finn moved quietly through the halls of his own home. She had to be around here somewhere. She was hunting him, chasing him. Finn didn't know where she was, but she had to be nearby. She was probably watching him now, ready to capture him at any moment.

A speck of movement caught the corner of Finn's eye and he ducked beneath a table. He could hear something moving through the air. It moved with a whooshing sound, long and slow. Almost like running water, but it somehow sounded lighter. Then there was a voice.

"Fiiiiinn…" it said slowly. The voice sounded like ten thousand whispers all at once. Soft and quiet yet somehow simultaneously deafening.

"Fiiiiinn wheeerrree aaarrree yyoouuu…"

The voice began to fade into the distance, moving away in its search. Finn stayed still for a while after it left. When he finally got out from beneath the table, Finn realized that he had never seen it before in his life. There were hallways too, more than could be accounted for in the tiny tree house.

Finn shrugged, dismissing the lesser of two disturbances, before moving off in the opposite direction. He moved slowly, slinking along and doing his best to stay near the walls. He'd gotten away before, but Finn didn't think he would be so lucky a second time.

Suddenly he heard a noise. It was a crackling sound, almost like… fire.

Finn ran up to the next intersection and gazed around the corner in the direction of the sound. Though she was far away, Finn could still see her. Flame Princess was standing close to thirty yards away, right in the middle of what appeared to be another intersection.

As Finn watched, half a dozen of the ghost's blue-green tendrils descended on her. Flame Princess unleashed her fire on the tendrils, burning them and cutting them. However, more and more seemed to come as fast as she could destroy them.

Finn watched sadly for a moment, before slipping off in a different direction. He wanted to go help Flame Princess, and he wanted to go to her, but Finn feared that would end terribly.

The ghost was obviously paying attention to Flame Princess, and if Finn appeared with her there might be problems. He would attract too much attention. They would be in deeper trouble than they could dig themselves out of.

Finn ran in the opposite direction, staying light on his feet and trying to make as little sound as possible. In his escape, Finn began to recognize the hallways he was running through. A picture here, a chair there.

Then he recognized a door.

Moving as if hypnotized, Finn opened the door slowly and stepped inside.

It was his bedroom. The window was covered in teal coloring, but other than that it was as he remembered it. His bed was still rumpled, with his sleeping bag lying off to one side. And there was his sword. Finn almost lunged for the demon blood sword, closing his hand around it in a fervor.

If anything could protect him against that ghost, this sword would be it.

Even as he thought about the ghost, Finn's eyes locked onto the dancer. It was sitting where it had been before, facing toward his bed.

Finn stared at it for a moment, before slipping out of the room.

* * *

Jake ran through the hallways, carrying BMO under his arm. That thing was right behind them. Jake decided that it was a ghost, after finally getting a good look at it.

But what was a ghost doing here?

Jake didn't have enough time to think about the answer, because the ghost was right behind them. Jake continued running, sprinting through the endless hallways in his panic.

Suddenly the endless hallway ended.

There was single simple door set in the end, and Jake gasped as he recognized it. _The front door!_ He didn't know what it was doing here at the end of a hall, but he didn't care. All he cared about was whether or not it would open. Whether or not he would be trapped here with the ghost that was slowly gaining ground on him.

Jake grabbed hold of the doorknob and held his breath as he pulled with all of his strength.

The door flew open.

Jake thought his heart might explode as he ran outside. They were free!

They were free, but Finn and Flame Princess were still in there. He had to get help. Jake didn't know what to do with a ghost, or even if he could do anything. The Princess would know, though.

Jake moved as fast as he could in the direction of the Candy Kingdom, hoping against hope to find help.

* * *

_I watch the two of them go. The yellow one flings open the door and runs out of my world. I can still feel him for a few steps, and then he is out of my realm of control. Moving quickly, I close the force field behind him._

_They are unimportant, and I don't want to waste any more energy on the two of them. I have more important things to take care of. I have a thief to destroy, and I have to find Finn._

_However, I feel something else entering my realm even as these two escape it. I shift my consciousness in that direction and watch a trio enter the house. I don't know how they got in, but I don't have time for them. I need to take care of these three quickly so I can get back to important matters._

_I follow them, looking curiously upon the trio. I can sense magic here. That is not a good sign._

_I will have to take care of them quickly._


	8. Black and White and Red & Striped

Jake ran as fast as he could toward the candy castle on the horizon. BMO was clinging to his back as he moved, and Jake could feel the computer's arms digging into his skin. He didn't care though, he didn't bother to mention it and he hardly even thought about it. He had more important things to focus on.

They had to get to the city and find the princess. They had to get help. There was no way Jake could handle a ghost in a fight. The princess might have something that could take care of this though. Some sciencey contraption.

She had to have _something_ because Finn and Flame Princess were still in there, stuck with that ghost from who knew where. It was a mystery… They'd never left a done a ghost wrong. And if they did, they'd never left them feeling resentful. Jake thought about all the ghosts they'd met: Ghost Princess and Clarence, the gladiator ghosts, and the buttball addicted ghost.

He even thought about Marceline's ghost friends though he hadn't actually met them. Thinking of ghosts he hadn't met, Jake started to think about that one night a long time ago when he'd pranked Finn in that old mansion. Jake almost laughed, remembering the brilliance of the prank.

Jake dropped it from his mind as he ran into the candy city. This was serious. He had no time to think about pranks.

He stopped as he came to the edge of a sea of candy citizens. The street was packed tight with candy people and there was no way to run among them. He could see the castle looming high above the streets. Using his powers, Jake stretched himself onto a rooftop, and from there to the next and so on.

Soon enough they were nearing the castle. It was only a couple blocks away. Moving faster, Jake reached the last rooftop and jumped down to the castle's front gate. From here he ran past the banana guards and into the maze of candy corridors.

BMO was still latched onto Jake's back, bouncing up and down slightly as he ran. Jake sprinted through the halls and up the stairs toward the princess's rooms. He hoped that she was there, and if not he could probably find someone who could give him directions.

Jake finally reached the right hall and came upon an odd trio.

Peppermint Butler stood firmly in front of the princess's door, apparently barring the two Earls of Lemongrab from entering. They were arguing with the striped butler and periodically trying to push past him toward the door.

"NO!" he screeched, somehow pushing the black clad lemon backward, "I told you already! The princess is _busy_! You'll need to come back another time!"

"Do _not_ touch me, butler. Step aside; we need to see the princess."

"How many times do I have to tell you guys?" Peppermint Butler groaned, "SHE IS BUSY! You _can't_ see her now! Go a-WAY!"

"Step aside," the black clad lemon said.

"Yes, step aside. _Butler_. Go… butle," insisted the other one.

"Hey! What's going on?" Jake said rushing forward and planting himself alongside Peppermint Butler.

"These two won't accept that the princess is busy. She doesn't have time to see _anyone_. But they…"

"Actually…" Jake interjected, "I need to see her too."

Peppermint Butler groaned from desperation. "YOU TOO!? Didn't you hear me? She can't see anyone! Not the lemons, not you, no one!"

"This is important!" Jake said, "Really important!"

"Wait!" the black clad lemon said, "Our request precedes yours. No cutting!"

Jake turned to the lemon and said, "I've got something more important to talk to her about!"

The white lemon scoffed, "Nothing could be more important than the needs of the Earls of Lemongrab."

Now Jake groaned, "But we need her help! There's some bad junk going down at our house and I think she might know what to do."

"I hardly…" the black lemon began.

"What type of junk?" Peppermint Butler interjected suddenly.

"There's some kind of ghost and it took over the house. Finn and Flame Princess are still trapped inside. It's just luck that me and BMO got out."

For a moment it seemed as if Peppermint Butler's eyes would burst out of their candied sockets.

"WHAT!?" He burst out, fully intent on Jake. "Are you sure? It was a… she wouldn't… couldn't have… Oh glob, she would've. And _she_ could've. This is not good man. _Not_ good."

"What?" Jake inquired, "What's wrong?"

"She's… uh…" Peppermint Butler began, looking back at the lemons before taking a deep breath and continuing, "She's not here. Technically, the princess is too busy. She's too busy… investigating your house…"

"YOU LIED!" the two lemons shouted in unison.

Peppermint Butler turned to them with deadly seriousness and shouted, "CAN'T YOU TWO GIVE IT A REST!? THE PRINCESS IS…" suddenly he stopped and looked back and forth down the hall. He finished in a _much_ quieter voice, "The princess is in _danger_. Just shut it."

Peppermint Butler turned back to Jake and said, "We've got to go back there. We've got to stop her before she gets inside, and we've got to save her if she has."

"What about Finn and Flame Princess?"

"Yeah, them too. Now come on, let's go." Peppermint Butler said, suddenly running off down the hall. Jake followed a moment later, leaving the two Lemongrabs to stand awkwardly in the hall.

"The princess is in danger…" the black lemon said hollowly.

"They might… might need help… helping her," the white lemon replied hesitantly.

"Maybe one of us should go…"

"I'll go." The white lemon said, starting down the hall.

"Why should _you_ go?" the black lemon asked.

"One of us has to. I mean, we can't both go."

"Can't we?"

"I suppose… that might be acceptable…"

Nodding their pointy yellow heads, the two lemons ran down the hall after the butler.

* * *

Two more chapters...

Hope you're liking this.

Don't forget to review


	9. Black Moon

Just one more chapter after this. I hope you've enjoyed this story, I know I have. Be sure to leave a review to let me know what you think.

* * *

Marceline walked through the strange corridors of the tree house. She couldn't help looking around at them, inspecting the surreal architecture. Hallways had appeared where before there had been none. Whole rooms had just appeared and been furnished. Windows were set in walls that had never existed, looking out on a pale teal sea that stretched on forever.

However, her whole attention wasn't focused on the tree house. She could feel something out there. It was the ghost, she was sure of it. There was an itch that was almost pulling her in a certain direction. She knew where the ghost was, but she didn't know how she knew.

Bonnibel and Simon walked along behind her, gazing around an equally confused manner.

"We've got to find that ghost," Bonnibel said suddenly, "Marceline, can you lead us to it?"

Marceline looked halfway back toward her and nodded.

"I don't know how far I'll have to lead you. It's getting closer." It was. The itch was getting stronger and Marceline just knew that the ghost was nearing their position. Whatever was going to happen, it would happen soon.

Marceline walked out of the corridor and into a large domed room. The ceiling hung high above them and there was only one other hallway leading out of it. The room was decorated extravagantly.

She stopped suddenly when they were about halfway through the room. The itch was stronger now. So strong she could feel it digging into her skin and wriggling around.

"It's in here," Marceline said, "In this room, with us. But… there's something strange about it."

"How strange?" Bonnibel inquired.

Marceline searched for words to describe it. "It's close, but far away at the same time. Like the ghost is hiding behind something, or… inside of something."

"Inside of something?" Bonnibel asked, an edge of uncertainty present.

"Yes, like a host or a…" Marceline paused suddenly, "Umm, it's been a while since Ice King said anything."

"What's your point?" Bonnibel asked, "It's not so strange that…"

Their eyes met.

Without saying another word, Marceline and Bonnibel both turned around to face the Ice King. He was just standing there, watching them.

His head was tilted slightly and his eyes were glowing teal.

"What do we do?" Bonnibel whispered, not taking her eyes off of the old man.

"I'm not sure…" Marceline said, staring straight at Simon's possessed body, "But it might be a good idea to… RUN!"

* * *

Jake looked ahead at the tree house, feeling very worried.

"Come on man! You've got to tell me everything!" Peppermint Butler exclaimed.

"I'm trying, I'm trying," Jake said, "It's just hard to remember anything. I was too busy running and climbing for our lives. Hey BMO, can you think of anything else?"

Jake looked down at the computer he was holding under his arm. BMO was unresponsive for some reason. Jake picked BMO up and held the computer out in front of him.

"He's… downloading something?" Jake said, confused.

"What do you think it is?" Peppermint Butler asked, leaning over to get a better look.

"I don't know," Jake said, "We'll just have to wait until he finishes and wakes back up."

* * *

Finn held the blood red sword clenched in one hand. He stayed low as he ran, but he couldn't run very fast because that would make too much noise. The ghost might find him, and he didn't want that. So he ran but didn't run while holding his weapon. He was still afraid though, deathly afraid.

He didn't know what would happen if she caught him again. Nothing good, he could assume that.

Finn stopped and gazed down an intersecting hallway. One direction was empty, but as he gazed down the other, Finn saw the sight he was dreading.

Flame Princess stood down that way.

He didn't want to draw attention to her and get her hurt. He also didn't want to get caught again. The ghost was definitely paying attention to Flame Princess, so if he made contact he would just get caught all over again.

Finn looked down the hallway toward Flame Princess for a moment before running off the opposite way. He had to avoid Flame Princess and the ghost. He had to avoid everybody. He couldn't get caught and he couldn't let anybody get hurt because of him.

He gritted his teeth as he ran. His eyes shot wildly back and forth, searching for the next set of intersecting hallways. He had to find a way out of here. He needed to escape.

Looking ahead, Finn saw another hallway and ran up to it. One direction was empty, but as he gazed down the other, Finn saw the sight he was dreading.

Flame Princess stood down that way.

He ran down the other.

* * *

_I watch as my love runs through the hallways. He escaped me before but I have found him now. I use my power to place images of HER in his path. He avoids her and I can use that. I am bringing him back to me, slowly but surely. I put an image of HER in one hallway and I can rely that he will take the other. Soon enough he will be back with me._

_Then I can concentrate on the others._

* * *

Marceline stood by the door, one ear pressed against it. She couldn't hear anything, and that was good. They'd lost the ghost a while back. At least she hoped. They were hiding in some kind of closet now.

_H_ow_ humiliating!_

Moving slowly and being careful to keep the hinges from creaking, Marceline opened the door a crack and peered out. She swiveled her eye back and forth before determining that they really were alone.

"It's clear," she said, turning back toward Bonnibel.

"Give me a second," the girl said, "I've got to finish something."

"What are you doing!?" Marceline demanded.

Bonnibel pressed one final button on the device she was holding before stowing it away.

"Did you really expect me to go into danger without a backup plan?" Bonnibel asked, smiling cheerfully.

* * *

Jake was holding BMO under his arm when the computer suddenly began to speak.

"Download complete!" he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Would you like me to play the recording?"

"Yes," Jake said immediately.

"Playing… _Princess Bubblegum's Emergency Message_," BMO said. The latter half of the sentence was delivered in the princess's voice. Peppermint Butler perked up immediately.

"_If you are hearing this, then my attempt to help Finn and Jake hasn't gone according to plan. I need you to relay this information to Peppermint Butler. He will know what to do with it."_

Jake looked down at the candy butler and saw that he was listening intently.

"_Firstly, the cause of the disturbance is a ghost that has taken control of the tree house. The ghost's motives seem to have something to do with a trick Jake played on Finn at the old mansion on the hill. That seems to be where the ghost came from. We may have disturbed the ghost somehow during the course of that night. That is all I've been able to find out so far. Tell him, I hope he can help. Otherwise, I'll be trapped in tree house along with Marceline and the Ice King. Good luck._"

The voice stopped and BMO shook himself a little.

Jake looked at Peppermint Butler and asked him if he knew what to do. Jake found him staring at the mansion on the horizon.

"I think I do," the butler said, "I think I can fix this."

* * *

Marceline walked through the winding corridor with Bonnibel beside her. She kept staring ahead, at the walls and ceiling, watching out for the ghost. She kept wondering what would happen if the ghost came back.

Even with Simon's powers, their survival was a long shot. She didn't think they'd have a chance if it came to a fight. All they could hope for now was to escape notice long enough for Bonnibel's message to find help.

Looking over for a moment, Marceline caught Bonnibel's eyes and she suddenly realized something. Two somethings, actually.

Bonnibel was terrified. Absolutely terrified.

And so was Marceline.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what she could do or even what could be done. For all intents and purposes, they were dead. They had no means of escape or survival. Bonnibel's science things were probably as useless as Marceline's vampire powers. They had all just been tricks to fool themselves into thinking they could be helpful. Thinking that they could run into a hopeless situation and fix it.

But they couldn't.

"Bonnibel," Marceline began. She had to try and calm her down. Maybe if she could calm Bonnibel down, then she'd calm herself down. They had to stay calm and find a way out of this.

"I think we should…" she was going to say something inspiring. She'd had a whole speech planned out. Well, not a speech as much as a few lines. It still would've been good.

However, at that same moment, the itch flared up.

"Bonnibel run!" she yelled, doing the same herself.

Sneaking a look backward, Marceline saw the corridor behind them filling up with a teal tide. There were tentacles and tendrils growing from the walls. The air was shimmering.

It was all heading toward them, closing in. No matter how fast they ran, the ghost was going to catch up. They would need a miracle to escape.

Instead, they came to a dead end.

They stood with their backs to the wall, watching the incoming tide of angry ghost. It would be here in just a moment. They had no way out and there was nothing they could do. They were going to die. She was going to die all over again, and Bonnibel was going to die because she couldn't do anything.

Neither of them could do anything. It was all over.

In her last moment, Marceline found herself staring at a black spot on the ceiling. It was the size of her palm and perfectly circular. It was also perfectly black, like the color of charcoal or the sea on a moonless night.

Set against the pale ceiling, it was like an inverted moon. A pitch black disc in a field of white.

She was completely absorbed by the colorless circle, even as inescapable death came roaring down the hallway toward her.


	10. Final Seconds

"She said you disturbed the ghost at its mansion," Peppermint Butler repeated, "Was that the first time you went in there?"

"Yeah," Jake replied simply.

"Was there anyone else with you? I know that you were there along with Finn and the princess. Anyone else?"

"BMO was there too," Jake said, "But I don't remember who else. It was a while ago."

A buzzing noise drew their attentions to BMO. The computer handed a newly printed picture to Peppermint Butler.

Peppermint Butler examine the picture for a moment before showing it to Jake. It was one of the pictures BMO had taken that night at the base of the stairs. They were all in it, BMO, Finn, Bubblegum, LSP, Cinnamon Bun, and Jake.

"Jake, you've got to remember," Peppermint Butler said, seriously, "Is this everyone who went into the mansion that night? Anyone else? This is important."

"Yeah, that's all… no, wait. Lady Rainicorn was there too."

The candy person nodded and turned to the Lemongrabs. He handed the picture to them and said, "I need you two to do something. This isn't for me, this is for the princess. If you can't do this, she'll die. No can I trust you?"

They nodded.

"Good, I need you to retrieve to persons from this photo. The purple one is Lumpy Space Princess, you'll find her in Lumpy Space. This one over here is Cinnamon Bun, he's at the candy castle. Go get them, get them fast."

They held the photo together for a moment, whispering into each other's ears. Suddenly, the black suited lemon took the picture and tore it up.

"What the heck are-" Peppermint Butler began, but he was interrupted by a piercing whistle. A yellow creature descended from the air and the white suited lemon climbed on top.

"Lemon Griffin!" he commanded, "Lumpy Space! Go!"

Without further ado, the griffin leapt into the air and flew away. At the same time, the other Lemongrab ran off toward the candy castle, clutching one half of the picture in his yellow fist.

"Well, let's hope they can do as they're told this time," Peppermint Butler said, "Now Jake, I need you to hurry and bring Lady Rainicorn back here."

Jake nodded, stretched, and departed.

Once he had gone, the butler turned to BMO and said, "I need your help doing something very important."

* * *

Princess Bubblegum watched, petrified, and the ghost approached. The hallway was a never ending sea of rippling, teal ectoplasm. Tendrils of the stuff were reaching out along the floor and even rising into the air.

It was a wonder she could still breathe. She was so scared, so utterly terrified. They were going to die. In just a moment they were going to die.

"M-M-M-Marceline," she stuttered out. Her whole body was shaking. She wasn't ready to die. She couldn't leave her citizens, or her friends.

"Before I… before I die," Bubblegum said, "I want… want to… I…"

"No," Marceline said sternly.

"I just want to say…"

"No"

"What's wrong with you Marceline! I'm scared out of my mind and I'm about to die! I don't want to…"

Marceline cut her off, "Look up."

"What?" Bubblegum asked, confused.

"We're not going to die, just look up."

Princess Bubblegum sighed and obeyed. Looking up, she saw a black spot set in the wood above their heads. As she watched, the spot began to grow. It spread outward steadily for a few moments.

The center turned orange.

She watched, shocked, as Flame Princess dropped out of the ceiling. The fiery princess fell to the ground and landed in a crouch. Without wasting any time, she barreled toward the sea of ectoplasm, wielding fireballs in each hand.

Princess Bubblegum watched as Flame Princess attacked the ghost and gasped as the ghost began to retreat. Without seeming to take any notice of Bubblegum and Marceline, Flame Princess ran after the ghost.

The two of them exchanged glances before running after Flame Princess.

* * *

Finn snuck through the strange halls of his own home. He kept glancing around, expecting at every moment for the ghost to find him and capture him. Finn knew that the ghost was right behind him, so he had to keep moving. Keep hiding and evading or else he would be recaptured.

Finn found himself at an intersection. He cautiously peered down the hall and was alarmed to see Flame Princess running toward him.

Finn turned to escape. He had to stay away from her. He couldn't let the ghost hurt her because of him and he couldn't let the ghost recapture him because of her. Finn ran away from Flame Princess, but he slowed his pace once he reached the next intersecting hallway.

He peered down that way, but found Flame Princess standing in that direction too. She was moving fast, so he would have to move even faster to…

A fiery body tackled him from behind.

Finn spun around quickly and found himself face to face with Flame Princess. She was on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, "I found you!"

"It's…" Finn said, "It's good to see you."

Flame Princess smiled and said, "Yeah, now we can get out of here."

Two sets of footsteps approached and they both looked around worriedly. Marceline and PB were standing there, looking winded.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Finn asked, getting up. Flame Princess stood next to him, eyeing him as if she expected him to run off.

"We came in here to help you," PB said, "but we weren't much help."

Marceline snorted and said, "Yeah, we've just been following her around for a few minutes since she didn't seem to have a problem with the ghost."

Flame Princess growled and they all looked at her.

"That stupid ghost won't leave me alone. It's annoying."

_Annoying, am I?_

Without any other warning, teal goo flooded the room. Tendrils rose from the sea and attacked. The four of them quickly found themselves fighting for their lives. Finn ended up back to back with Marceline, hacking with blood sword and demon bass respectively. From the corner of his eye, Finn could see Flame Princess flying around, throwing fireballs at the sea. He could hear Princess Bubblegum's voice from far away, and the crackling sound of some kind of laser.

Between the four of them, they somehow managed to hold their own, but the tendrils kept coming. They kept rising form the teal sea just as fast as they were cut down. Finn could feel his arms starting to grow tired and his breath was coming in gasps.

After a while they ended up in a line. There was an empty hallway behind them, and a viciously full one in front. The sea kept attacking and attacking, wearing them down until Finn felt so tired that he was almost ready to collapse. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out, or how much longer any of them could.

From one glance, he knew the others were just as tired.

"Finn! Finn!" a high pitched voice called. It was familiar, though he knew it didn't belong to any of the girls.

It was BMO.

The computer was standing by his feet, trying to get his attention.

"What is it BMO?" Finn asked, still doing his best to fight.

"_Finn, I need you to follow BMO out of the tree house_," Peppermint Butler said, "_I can stop the ghost, but you've got to get out first. Princess Bubblegum and Marceline are somewhere in there as well. All of you need to get out ,and then I can put an end to this. Just follow BMO, he'll lead you out._"

"Did you hear that?" Finn called out to the others.

* * *

Flame Princess held up the rear, fighting back the ghost while the others retreated. Finn carried BMO as he ran, following the computer's directions. Flame Princess ran backward and kept up a steady stream of fireballs.

The ghost kept after them though, and Flame Princess had to struggle to fight it back. She paused at every corner and threw a massive fireball. Flame Princess was just barely able to fight the ghost off and keep it away.

Eventually she backed into a large domed room and paused. Flame Princess kept up a steady stream of fire. However, Flame Princess could see the tendrils slipping around her fire. She pressed harder, fighting to keep it back.

Through the struggle Flame Princess could hear the others talking behind her.

* * *

Marceline spared a single glance for the fiery girl as she ran for the exit. For a moment, Marceline wondered what the girl thought she was doing. She wasn't going to be able to fight the ghost head on, not on her own.

However, Marceline looked ahead and realized. She was trying to buy them time. Marceline remembered this room, and how the exit was down that exact hallway. There was only one way out and one way in. If the ghost somehow managed to get between them and the exit, they'd be trapped. The hallway was narrow, and even if they got past the ghost, they'd still be stuck fighting it in a tiny space.

Marceline silently saluted the girl as she ran.

Marceline cursed loudly as a sheathe of teal slid over the door. She heard Bonnibel gasp and BMO utter a tiny "Oh no!" She turned to see the fiery girl picking herself up off the ground.

"What do we do now?" Bonnibel asked, more than a little worry in her voice.

They were all watching the teal ooze slide over the walls, covering and engulfing the room in a greenish seascape. The ooze was moving slowly, crawling over every surface it met.

"Can we fight?" Marceline asked, half knowing already.

The fiery girl was still shaking herself out of a daze. Finn was sweating and letting the blade of his big red sword rest on the ground. Bonnibel still had her weapons, but she didn't know how effective they would be.

"I don't think so, Marceline," she said, a halfway defeated tone in her voice.

"I know what to do," Finn said suddenly, "I'm the one the ghost wants, so I'll stay. The rest of you get out and…"

BMO suddenly spoke up in alarm, but it wasn't his voice. Instead, it was Peppermint Butler that admonished Finn, _"You CANNOT stay behind. Finn, BMO, and Princess Bubblegum are absolutely essential. Under no circumstance can you stay behind."_

Finn stared at BMO for a moment before sighing, "I don't know then…"

Marceline looked between the goo-covered walls and the people before her. Letting out a slight chuckle, she said, "I guess there's only one option. You three can't stay here, and you can't get out. Good luck.'

"What are you going to do?" Bonnibel asked quickly.

"I thought you said vampires were no match against ghosts," Finn demanded.

"Yeah," Marceline said, taking a deep, readying breath, "Vampires are no match, but a half demon might have some kind of a chance."

Marceline delved deep into the powers she'd inherited from her father and transformed. The room seemed to shake and sway around her, but in the end she was looking around from a vantage point several times higher.

She flexed her wings once, though she had no use for them now. Reaching down, Marceline thrust her hands into the hallway. Finding the ghost's slippery body in her hands, Marceline took hold and pulled.

The ghost didn't give way easily, but after much struggling she managed to make a small opening in the barrier.

"Go!" she roared, feeling a slimy tendril wrap itself around her leg. Several more tendrils affixed themselves to her, and Marceline could feel them pulling her away from the doorway. Marceline fought against them, but within a few seconds there were almost a dozen pulling at her. She couldn't hold on much longer, she was going to have to let go.

Fire crackled in the air and several of the tendrils let go. Marceline redoubled her grip on the ghost and watched as Finn, BMO, and Bonnibel ran out into the hall.

Marceline let go of the ghost as soon as Bonnibel was through, and turned to see the fiery girl shooting through the air, throwing blast of fire into the ghost's mass and occasionally cutting tendrils that had attacked themselves to Marceline's body.

"Good luck," the girl said, dodging a tendril and nearly running into the floor as a consequence.

"You too," Marceline said, even as a wave of goo rose up toward her.

* * *

Finn flung open the door and ran outside. They were inside some kind of dome. It was the same teal as the ghost, but this seemed more dormant and immobile.

They regrouped right outside the door, all three of them.

"Where's Flame Princess?" Finn asked, worriedly.

"I don't know," PB said, looking up at the dome, "Still inside probably. But you heard what Peppermint Butler said, he needs us outside to stop this. Let's go."

"But how?" Finn asked, staring up at the solid teal wall, "We're still inside and I don't know any way to get out."

"But I do," PB said, "Peppermint Butler made a small crack in the barrier so he could send BMO in. I just need to hit that weak point and turn it into a hole."

Without even pausing, PB reached into her backpack and pulled out a small sphere the size of her fist. She twisted the top and set it down beside the wall.

A few moments passed before anything happened. A pure white sphere formed around the original and spread out until it was about five feet from edge to edge. Princess Bubblegum stepped back as the sphere expanded.

Without any warning, the sphere faded like mist to reveal an uneven hole in the teal.

"Wow!" Finn exclaimed, "What was that?"

"A Self-Containing Detonation, SCD for short."

Before anyone could do anything else, Peppermint Butler ran in through the gap. Jake came after him, followed closely by Cinnamon Bun, LSP, and Lady Rainicorn.

"How do you plan to stop the ghost?" PB asked PB.

Peppermint Butler was drawing a circle in the dirt and didn't even pause to explain. He just kept drawing while he spoke.

"You awoke the ghost by entering her resting place. What actually awakened her was the presence of an unknown aura, or rather, several. A little of your aura rubbed off against hers just as hers rubbed off on all of you. It's like a footprint, or a memory. I can use the aura you left on the ghost to locate its spiritual body and the aura accumulated amongst you seven to bring her here. Once she's here, weakened and under control due to my summoning, I'll be able to dismiss her from this world by means of force."

Princess Bubblegum nodded all while he explained. Finally he stood in the center of the circle and told everyone to stand around him. However, he explicitly warned them not to cross the line her drew.

Everyone obeyed and he started to mutter. The air was tense as he spoke under his breath. Peppermint Butler said one word with an air of finality, and then collapsed backward.

Several of them gasped, but Princess Bubblegum just watched mystified.

She didn't get worried until his eyelids opened to reveal eyes of solid teal.

* * *

Peppermint Butler stood in a dark world, far beyond the reach or imagination of any but himself. There was no sun here, but mountains stood in the distance, silhouetted against a purple sky.

A forest stretched out in all directions. The trees were gnarled and twisted, colored red and white. Their bent fingers reached upward like claws.

Peppermint Butler was standing in a clearing, watching a drop of teal liquid. It was floating in the air, level with his eyes and a foot away.

As he watched, the drop began to spread outward and upward. The drop became a torrent, spraying in all directions.

Peppermint Butler could feel it pushing against him. He could feel it trying to drown him. He could feel it trying to fill this world.

He stood strong against the overbearing current, staring straight into the core.

Gritting his teeth, Peppermint Butler bent the world. He folded it like clay until the teal ocean was all contained inside a box. That box lay at his feet.

"Leave this place," Peppermint Butler said softly, "Depart from this world."

The box shook, rocking back and forth angrily.

Peppermint Butler imagined that the box had a hole in one side and suddenly it did. Teal poured out, but evaporated immediately as it hit the ground. The air was filled with thick, pungent steam.

Soon enough the teal stopped flowing out of the box.

"Leave," Peppermint Butler said, "Go."

There was no response.

Peppermint Butler let the box grow until it was twice his size. He twisted and changed it until he was looking at a cage with iron bars.

A teal mass watched him from inside. He could feel the cold stare. Without moving a muscle, Peppermint Butler turned the teal into steam.

It rose and faded away.

Peppermint Butler looked into the cage and found himself looking at a human girl. She was a teenager.

"You must leave, this is not your place. Not anymore," Peppermint Butler told her, "I can help you leave."

The girl stared at him with defiance in her eyes. However, after a minute of locked glares, she lowered her eyes and sighed.

Peppermint Butler let the cage disappear.

"Please," the girl said, sadly, "Just give me a few seconds longer."

* * *

Finn watched Peppermint Butler, watched him open his eyes and stand up slowly. He seemed unsure of how to move. The candy person rose and turned to Finn.

With worrying teal eyes, Peppermint Butler said, "_I'm sorry. If only we'd been alive together."_

It was the ghost's voice. However, before Finn could figure out how to react, Peppermint Butler blinked and his eyes and turned back to normal.

Suddenly Finn realized that everyone was staring at him and he felt his face grow hot.

"Princess!" a pair of voices said. They all turned to see the Lemongrabs approaching.

"Well, bye everyone," PB said before walking over toward the Lemongrabs. The three of them talked for a moment before heading away toward the candy castle.

Peppermint Butler tried to warn Finn about not repeating this, but he couldn't figure out exactly what he'd done wrong. Instead he just walked away after the princess.

"You know," LSP said, "I'm all about the ghost drama, but I've got some more important, more lumpy drama back at home. See ya."

LSP left, apparently going back to Lumpy Space.

Without saying anything, Cinnamon Bun wandered off shortly after.

"You guys ready to go back inside?" Finn asked, looking at Finn and Jake.

Jake looked at the house and shivered. "Actually, I think I'll go stay with Lady for a few days."

"Okay, well bye then," Finn said, watching Jake leave with Lady Rainicorn. After that, Finn and BMO went back inside the house. They found Marceline and Flame Princess standing in the kitchen, both out of breath.

"Is the… ghost taken… care of?" Marceline asked, rubbing a bruise on her left arm.

"Yup, Peppermint Butler got rid of her."

"Heheh, he's a cool guy," Marceline said, pulling her parasol out and heading for the door, "I guess I'll see you later, lover boy."

With that said, Marceline opened her parasol and left.

"Lover boy?" Flame Princess asked, looking at Finn, "What did she mean by that?"

"It's a long story," Finn said, feeling his cheeks grow hot.

* * *

Ice King stood in a dark room, feeling his way around blindly.

"Hello?" he called out, "Is anybody there?"

He felt his foot catch on something a little too late and he tripped on it.

"Wenk?" Gunter said.

"I know it's dark," Ice King retorted.

A long period of silence passed before Ice King asked, "Do you think the ghost is gone yet?"

"Wenk."

"Yeah, you're probably right. It _would_ be safer just to wait here. Wherever here is."


End file.
